SEED is a global partnership for action on sustainable development and the green economy. It was initiated in 2001 by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB). Under the name SEED Initiative it was presented as an “Example of Excellence” partnership inter alia by UNEP and BMUB at the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 where it was also registered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as a Type II Partnership. SEED was originally conceived as an acronym for Supporting Entrepreneurs for Environment and Development.
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Programme approach, goals and objectives
SEED works for social and environmental entrepreneurship in two ways:
SEED helps to deliver solutions through cooperation between small and large businesses, local and international NGOs, women's groups, labour organisations, public authorities, and UN agencies, as well as other actors working in the field of sustainable development. It seeks to grow capacity on the ground and creates a conduit for investment partnerships, and for disseminating good practice and lessons learned.
SEED is also a member of the Green Economy Coalition (GEC), which includes a range of organisations and sectors from NGOs, institutes, businesses and trade unions. The GEC is based around the vision of a resilient economy that provides a better quality of life for all within the ecological limits of the planet, and to accelerate the transition to the new green economy.
The SEED Awards Program
The SEED Awards for Entrepreneurship in Sustainable Development is an annual awards scheme designed to find the most promising, innovative and locally-led start-up social and environmental enterprises in countries with developing and emerging economies. The independent SEED International Jury of experts selects enterprises which have the potential to make real improvements in poverty eradication and environmental sustainability while contributing to a greener economy.
In light of the 2011 SEED Awards, Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director, described the importance of the SEED Awards in the following manner:
"The SEED Award winners are shining examples of what can be achieved through the lens of the Green Economy and with very little in terms of funds but an extraordinary amount of innovation and hard work. The challenge […] is how to scale-up and accelerate the kinds of transitions that SEED represents. Companies have a lot to gain from partnering with civil society and public sector initiatives in order to catalyze change."
Applications for the SEED Awards are generally open for enterprises in a developing country or country in transition, which is working in partnership with others to generate economic, environmental and social benefits. Eligibility however varies depending on the award type for which an enterprise wants to apply. In many instances start-up social and environmental enterprises need access to knowledge, expertise and networks as much as financial support. SEED meets this need by offering winners a package of individually tailored support in addition to a monetary prize. This package comprises business and technical support, access to expertise and networks, and international profiling to foster sustainable business growth.
Previous SEED Award winners have included enterprises working in the areas of agriculture, energy, environmental technologies, natural resource management, sustainable consumption, waste and recycling, health, water and sanitation, biofuels, information and communications, education, food security, climate change adaptation and mitigation, renewables and microfinance.
Over the last ten years SEED has awarded more than 200 social and environmental enterprises in developing countries with a SEED Award - enabling collaboration and peer learning. In September 2015, SEED issued a 10 Year Flagship Report titled "Turning Ideas into Impact" which tells the story of SEED and is built on an extensive survey with 175 SEED Award Winners, showcasing key lessons learnt from working with them.
In 2015, the SEED Awards had a special focus on Africa, with 25 awards given to enterprises in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda.
History and Growth
The first SEED Awards were presented between 2005 and 2008.
In 2009, 20 Award Winners were selected out of nearly 1100 applications from 97 countries. The 20 SEED Award winners each received business planning support and subsequently 5 were selected as Gold Winners; they received additional tailored capacity building, a financial contribution and were networked and profiled at high level events in their own countries, and internationally. SEED has since increased the number of Awards with between 35-55 annually, all receiving tailor-made support packages.
Co-funded by the EU, and in partnership with the UNEP Green Economy Initiative, a special focus on Africa was introduced from 2010 onwards with the aim of supporting African countries looking to encourage green and sustainable economic sectors and socially responsible initiatives. The project was originally piloted in Burkina Faso, Kenya, Egypt, Ghana, Rwanda, Senegal, and South Africa and is now extended until 2015 in Ethiopia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Gender equality has been a mainstream goal throughout the SEED programme. In 2011 SEED reinforced this commitment by partnering with UN Women in introducing of the first SEED Gender Equality Award which specifically aimed to support outstanding women-led or women-owned enterprises that contributed to women’s empowerment and fostered gender equality. The partnership has since been joined by UNIDO.
In 2013 SEED entered into a partnership with the German Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Protection, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) which saw the establishment of an award category specifically targeting enterprises that address climate change mitigation and adaptation: the SEED Low Carbon Awards. This category targeted 5 countries (Colombia, India, Tanzania, Uganda and Vietnam), identifying and promoting climate-smart enterprises through tapping into the pool of innovative ideas for addressing climate change at the local level.
On 30 June 2015, after 8 years at the helm of SEED, Dr. Helen Maquard stepped down as Executive Director. Under her leadership, SEED has evolved from a biennial awards scheme into a multi-component programme for action on sustainable development and the green economy.
SEED Partners
Founding Partners of SEED are United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Since April 2013 SEED is hosted by the German Think-and-Do Tank adelphi research gGmbH. Further partners of SEED comprise Conservation International, the European Union, the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, the Government of Flanders, the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests, the Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Netherlands, South Africa's Department of Environmental Affairs, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women UN Women (UN Women), the US Department of State and the international Law firm Hogan Lovells.
In 2011 Hisense International Co. became SEED’S Corporate partner when they entered into a partnership agreement with UNEP to promote and strengthen the brand profile and global positioning of the SEED Awards; committing to a three-year commitment 2011-2013. In 2013 the agreement was extended for an additional three years.